This invention relates to a tool designed for practicing and helping with the teaching of proper ball hitting technique as in baseball and or proper stroking technique as in tennis.
Over the years many devices have been developed in an attempt to provide the necessary benefit and feature of striking a target ball that has the feel of stroking a free and live, yet controlled tennis ball that instantly self resets itself to a predetermined position.
Ball striking practice devices are well known in the prior art. Of particular reference are three practice devices U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,934 of Nixon issued Mar. 21, 1978, U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,572 of Harvey issued Jan. 18, 1977, U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,960 of Nicholls issued Aug. 12, 1980.
The common drawback of each of these noted and issued patents, are obvious, the ball can't be struck using a standard driving forehand or backhand tennis stroke and at the same time, not have the racket become disruptively entangled with the ball tethering mechanism of the device.
Tennis is a sport that calls for hitting a moving target, in tennis the moving target unit is the tennis ball, proficiency at hitting a moving target unit is best accomplished by first learning to be proficient and consistent at hitting a still or stationary target unit sighting as an example the marksman who has become a champion marksman whom, without a doubt began by becoming proficient and consistent at hitting a stationary or still target before improving and graduating to a moving target.
Other references of general background interest describing and illustrating ball striking practice devices include. U.S. Pat. No. 2,578,313 of Moseley issued Dec. 11, 1951, U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,203 of Gold issued Apr. 8, 1975, U.S. Pat. No. 3,794,320 of Salmont issued Feb. 26, 1974, U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,678 of Weis issued May 27, 1980, U.S. Pat. No. 4,417,730 Weiner issued Nov. 29, 1983, U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,340 of Liao issued Apr. 2, 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 2,713,487 of Jaediker issued July 1955, U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,926 of Vincent issued May 1973, U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,237 of Moraru issued August 1977, U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,521 of Berst et al. issued May 1978.